This Could End Badly
by eweknow
Summary: This is my entry for the March writing competition in the forum. Daine is looking for Numair at a party with something specific on her mind and some wine in her system. Rated T for safety and possible continuation.


A/N: This is my first story! It is an entry for the March Writing Competition in the Immortals forum and based on the phrase "Operation 'this-will-most-likely-end-badly' is a go." It's a one-shot now with the possibility for continuation. And even though I am new, you don't need to go easy on me with the critiques. A good critique can only make my writing better.  
Oh, and I do not own any of the characters. I just really like them all.

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The party was in full swing and Daine was almost blinded by the bright colors of the dresses all around her. She had chosen a gown in a soft brown, thinking it would make her blend in. Instead, it made her stand out from the reds, greens, pinks and purples. The mourning period that had followed the Immortals War had just ended and women and men alike had chosen garments to celebrate. King Jonathan dazzled in blue while Queen Thayet had outfitted herself in yellow. Alanna the Lioness wore a purple that matched her eyes, The Baron George Cooper stood beside her in green. Even Buri and Onua had strayed form their usual brown into the realm of bright colors. Daine had a feeling the queen had something to do with that.

Daine looked around for the only other person in the room dressed in a subdued color but saw no black robes in the crowd. Her teacher and best friend, Numair Salmalìn, always wore his black mages dress robe at these functions and she thought that after months of having to find him in a sea of black dresses and tunics, finding him among the rainbow in attendance tonight would be simple. She waded into the party, smiling or waving at each of her friends as she passed and checking to see that Kitten was minding Tkaa and not causing mischief. Kitten trilled softly as Daine passed, fixing a crease she had made in her dress when she sat for dinner and simultaneously lighting up the topaz and diamond pendant dangling from the chain around her neck, a gift from the king and queen for her service in the war.

She couldn't find Numair anywhere and began to wonder what kind of trouble he could have gotten himself into now. As she headed for the garden, hoping he was outside and alone on such a romantic evening, Onua stopped her. The group the horse-mistress had been conversing with, consisting of Baron Cooper, Lord Raoul, Sir Gareth the Younger, Buri, and Daine's friends in the Queen's Riders, Evin and Miri, had been questioning the availability of mounts for not only the new rider groups but also the companies of the King's Own who were still traveling across the countryside protecting villages and towns from spidren, centaur and tauros attacks. Daine sighed and jumped into the conversation, knowing Numair was probably doing just fine without her and she could see him tonight anyway. Buri pressed a glass of wine into her hand as she laughed loudly at a not-so-amusing joke that Raoul had just told. Onua rolled her eyes at her friend and continued the conversation.

An hour and two more glasses of wine later, the group slowly disbanded as Evin and Miri went off in search of some rider friends, Lord Raoul went to talk to Alanna and King Jonathan, and Buri slipped out to find Queen Thayet. As Gary and George began to reminisce, Daine politely excused herself to Onua and tottered back into the crowd to find Numair. She set her empty glass on the tray of a page as he walked by, almost bumping into him as the room spun and grew fuzzy around her. Deciding fresh air would solve that problem, she slowly and steadily made her way to the garden she had been heading for before being detained.

Following a seam in the marble floor to keep her walking straight, Daine finally reached the stone of the terrace. She inhaled and smiled at the smell of night-blooming jasmine and fresh earth. She gripped the terrace door for support and looked around outside, trying to determine if she could make it to a bench. In doing so she saw him. Numair perched on the wall of the terrace, his black robe folded over his arm, looking incredibly handsome. He was deep in conversation with Tkaa, Lindhall Reed and Harailt Aili, the head of the mage's school. Despite the fact that kissing him right now would make the night perfect, she decided she did not want to spend time listening to talk of magic while she waited for the others to depart nor did she want to let everyone in Corus know that they were together. It was something they had agreed could wait to be announced. Daine hedged her bet on making it to the nearest bench. Unfortunately, she had forgotten that there was a step down onto the terrace from the ballroom and she tumbled, landing first on her knee and then rolling onto her side.

"Daine!" she heard Numair shout from across the terrace. She could hear several people running towards her and she began to laugh hysterically. Numair's face swam in front of her. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Knowing he worried, she tried to get her laughing under control. "I'm fine, I'm fine," Daine said, trying unsuccessfully to sit up. Tkaa's hand supported her when she was finally able to rise but she soon found the world was spinning around her again. Her head bobbed as she tried to clear her vision.

"Are you certain you didn't hit your head, magelet?"

"Yes," she replied. "The wine is doing funny things to my head, not the terrace."

"Oh. In that case, perhaps Tkaa and Lindhall should help us to our rooms."

Daine, puzzled, looked up at Numair, straining her neck even though he was kneeling next to her. Even though it was rather breezy and brisk outside, his robe was on the ground next to him, not around his shoulders. His smile was lazy and despite the fact that there seemed to be two of him, she could see the redness in his cheeks that only appeared when he was thoroughly embarrassed or rather inebriated. "You are drunk," she stated.

"Thank you. I am well aware. Lindhall and I have been enjoying a rather old bottle of brandy."

"We were enjoying it," Lindhall added, "until I finished it just now."

Daine sighed. "Yes, I can see Lindhall is a fantastic choice to help you back to your rooms, Numair."

Tkaa finally joined the conversation, emitting a hissing noise that Daine assumed was that of a chuckle. "I will help Lindhall back to his room at the university if you two think you can manage yourselves. Master Reed has much farther to go and has consumed much more brandy than Numair, it seems. Ah, Harailt has returned with the cavalry."

Daine felt hands around her waist and was suddenly very quickly rising into the air. The hands released her waist and settled on her shoulders when she had regained her balance. She turned to see the purple eyes of the Lioness twinkling with laughter at her and her teacher. Daine turned back to see George Cooper lifting Numair from his knees onto his feet. Numair's arm was slung over George's shoulders and he was being supported by the baron's arm around his waist.

"Come along, then, Tkaa. I've got a long walk to help me sober up and I'd rather not spend it talking to myself, thank you," Lindhall rattle off, beginning to stumble down the steps and into the large gardens. Tkaa nimbly followed him; the tip of his tail held up like the train of a skirt.

"Well, lad, let's get you back to your rooms then," George said to Numair, leading the way back to the ballroom, Daine and Alanna following.

Alanna leaned into Daine as they walked. "I can make it so you won't have a headache in the morning," she said quietly.

Daine thought about it. "Might be better if I do so I know not to drink so much again," she replied.

Alanna laughed out loud at that. "You won't feel that way tomorrow, trust me."

"Alright, fine," Daine agreed. As the cool fingers of the Lioness touched the nape of her neck she said, "What about Numair?"

"Oh, he knows better. I'm going to let him hurt." George half turned his head to look at his wife and chuckled. "Well, he does," she replied curtly, one hand resting on her hip.

Daine, feeling much better after the pre-healing she had just gotten, walked ahead to Numair's unsupported side. His arm gently snaked around her shoulders. "I can take him from here George," she said. "I'm feeling much better now, thanks to Alanna. Hardly lightheaded at all and the hallway stopped spinning." When George stopped and she saw him and Alanna eying her suspiciously, she put her hands up in defense. "Honest. It's not that far from here anyway. I can even get one of the palace dogs to help me back to my rooms from there. They won't let me fall."

"What do you think, lass?" George's eyes were twinkling at Daine as he addressed his wife. How he knew why Daine had suggested it she couldn't guess. "I wouldn't mind having you all to myself for once, with no children about. Especially these two."

Numair cocked an eyebrow at George's implication. "I object to your suggestion that we are immature, Baron Cooper. And I beg you not to imply what you will be doing without us or your children around."

"I can see I would be overruled," Alanna said. "But if I hear that either of you didn't make it back to your rooms, I will be giving all three of you a piece of my mind tomorrow. Yes, even you, darling husband."

Numair shifted himself onto his own feet, only slightly resting on Daine's shoulders. George let go of Numair and grabbed Alanna by the wrist. Pulling her along, he jogged down the corridor. She picked up her skirts and gave Daine and Numair one last meaningful glance before being jerked around a corner.

"Come on, Numair," Daine said, beginning the walk to his rooms.

"I believe I am rather more drunk than I initially thought," he said to her.

"And I believe I am rather less. That must have been one large bottle of brandy you were splitting with Lindhall."

"Indeed."

After two corridors and one flight of stairs they finally reached Numair's rooms. Daine sighed with relief. Numair placed his hand on the knob and pushed the door open. The scent of soap, tea, spices, and old books wafted towards Daine's unsuspecting nose and she was washed with a yearning that had been burning in her belly since they had first kissed in the Divine Realms. They had not progressed past the kissing stage of their romance, mostly because they had been so busy that they barely had any alone time.

Numair's fingers brushed a loose curl off Daine's face, his face looking down at her as he pushed the door closed. They were alone at last, just as Daine hoped they would be tonight when she first went looking for him in the ballroom. She knew exactly what she wanted to do tonight too.

But as she kissed him she could taste brandy. He was drunk and wasn't that taking advantage? He had never pushed her much farther than kissing, knowing that her first time with him should be special and romantic and real. As his hands dipped to her waist and then even lower, she knew he wanted it too. But she shouldn't.

The feel of his hair between her fingers, his scent enveloping her, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and his lips caressing hers were all so overwhelming that Daine couldn't hold back. She didn't want to anymore. Any nervousness she had held was released and she pressed herself against him and kissed him back as passionately as she could, knowing he would understand the implication.

She was in such a state of bliss that when she tumbled for the second time that night, this time onto Numair's bed, she didn't even know how they had gotten there. He hovered over her, kissing her until her lips were numb.

"Daine," he said, pulling back. "Do you really want—"

"Yes," she said, cutting him off.

"Do you have a charm? I mean, you know, to keep yourself from—"

"No. But I'll get one tomorrow if you don't stop what we already started."

"This could end badly," Numair replied.

Daine quickly unlaced his shirt. "Only if you don't remember in the morning. And I'm fair certain that the end is the best part."


End file.
